Dominicana
Dominican Republic United States

Dominicana

by Angie Cruz

Immigration Historical Fiction Literary Fiction 2019

Summary

Fifteen-year-old Ana Canción has never dreamed of leaving the Dominican countryside, but when Juan Ruiz, a man twice her age, offers to marry her and take her to New York City, her family sees an opportunity for a better future. On New Year’s Day in 1965, Ana leaves behind everything she knows and arrives in Washington Heights, where she finds herself trapped in an unhappy marriage with a controlling and unfaithful husband. Lonely and struggling to adapt to life in a new country, she begins to imagine a future beyond the narrow role expected of her.

When Juan returns to the Dominican Republic amid growing political turmoil, Ana discovers new freedoms through English lessons, friendships, and an unexpected romantic connection with his younger brother, César. But her growing independence clashes with her family’s hopes and the sacrifices expected of her. Set against the backdrop of the Dominican Civil War and the Dominican immigrant community in New York, Dominicana is a moving coming-of-age story about migration, womanhood, and the courage to claim a life of one’s own.

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Countries
Dominican Republic
North America
United States
North America
About the author
Angie Cruz
Angie Cruz

Angie Cruz is a Dominican-American novelist born and raised in New York City to a family with roots in the Dominican Republic. Her writing explores immigration, identity, gender, family relationships, and the complexities of working-class life. She studied fashion design at the Fashion Institute of Technology before earning a bachelor’s degree in English from Binghamton University and an MFA in creative writing from New York University. Cruz is the author of Soledad (2001), Let It Rain Coffee (2005), Dominicana (2019), and How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water (2022). Dominicana was shortlisted for the 2020 Women’s Prize for Fiction and selected for the Good Morning America book club. Cruz is the founder and editor-in-chief of Aster(ix), a literary and arts journal, and has taught creative writing at the University of Pittsburgh. Her work often explores how women navigate the tension between family obligations and personal freedom.

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Details
Published
2019
Author
Angie Cruz